Geography Jones Poem by John A'Hern

He sought dreams to become a teacher,
Sometimes his days and plans are torn to pieces
Onward to a school of not his choosing.
Teenage boys waited for their teacher
Introduced himself as laughter erupted.

Stood and approached his challengers,
Passing through rows of small desks
The back row was his final calling
He was now among his ongoing problems.
Softly spoken he choose his words wisely,
All now quiet within this schoolroom.

His subject today about foreign countries,
The mysteries of the giant blackboard came into play
He occasionally turned to see the looks of dismay,
All locked in a time warp of this working-class area
The look on pupils' faces was priceless.

Describe a country and its people?
An audible groan had him smiling within.
Pencil sharpener having a workout,
Lead giving up under pressure.

Two hours up, sighs filled the room,
A bell signalled the end of this day of gloom,
Classroom emptied in a flash.
Some papers without a name caused a sigh
The descriptions showing their World had them captured.

Such sadness, reading of dreams never to be realised
A troubled night's sleep beckoned.
Entering the classroom next day, all unusually quiet.
He sat at his island, looking at unsure faces,
Realising, the enemy in the back row was sitting listening,

His quiet voice never rubbishing stories
The dreams of his imaginary enemies were a joy to read,
High expectations, silently he wished them well.
Today he left for home with a wry smile on his lips,
The term rolling by, all left the scene with twinkles in their eye.

The teacher went to a sporting event
Familiar names there before him,
The names of two back row boys, living their dreams.
Local pub after the game he stood at the bar in silence,
A tap on his shoulder by strangers.

Hello Geography Jones, thank you for all your efforts,
Your teaching methods soothed anger within us.
The teacher reached to shake their hands
A shake of their heads as they hugged him.
The teachers' soul was on high as he realised
He also had reached his dreams plateau.